Concrete Angel
by Blood Red Kisses
Summary: A small sixteen year old girl walks down a broken street, bumping into a young man. The two talk and find they have more in common than she thinks. Warning: Character death and themes of abuse.


Hello, people. So this is an AU kind of where Tempe meets Booth when she's sixteen and he's twenty one. She's in the foster system and it's really saaad! I though of this while listening to Concrete Angel by Martina McBride. It's such a sad song....But anyways, there is character death in here, which is why I labeled this as an AU. And it's a little out of character, especially Tempe...But oh well. She's still a kid, so yeah...

Have fun reading! And if you so feel compelled, I do love reviews!

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A small girl walked along a broken sidewalk, carrying a bag much too large for her. Her clothes hung off her and she had small bruises running across her throat. Her eyes were pinned to the ground as she walked.

A young man also walked along that same broken sidewalk. He normally carried himself with an air of confidence, but today, his eyes were also pinned to the ground.

As the two stared off at the ground, they hadn't noticed the other walking the same the path as they bumped shoulders.

The man turned around. "Sorry," he mumbled.

She gave him a small smile. "It's okay…"

His eyes lingered at her throat. "I'm Seeley."

"My name's Temperance."

"Nice to meet you, Tempe." He held out his hand to her.

She nodded and apprehensively shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"What happened…?" His hand gently brushed her throat and she stiffened. Her feet took her three steps back and Seeley's eyes softened. "Ah, sorry…I didn't mean…"

"N-no…It's okay. It's nothing." Her eyes held his in a stare.

"Tempe, if someone's hurting you, you need to tell someone."

She shook her head. "It's nothing. And anyways, I just met you." Her cheeks puffed out in this adorable way that made Seeley laugh.

"Yeah, we did just meet. Wanna grab some ice cream, then?"

She glanced at the ground, lost in thought. She knew she had to get home; if she was late…it'd be real bad.

But she really didn't want to go home. Truth be told, she felt safe around this strange man. She didn't understand why; she had only just met him. It was illogical to feel this calm around someone she had run into on the street. But something about him just made her want to stay with him.

So she nodded her head, her long messy hair following suit. "Sure."

He smiled. "Baskin Robbins okay?"

"Yes, that's fine." She dug around in her oversized bag and pulled out a ratty looking wallet.

"No, no, I'll pay."

"I couldn't possibly allow you to pay; that'd be so rude of me."

"It's my treat, Tempe. I asked you, so I'll pay." Seeley had deduced the girl probably didn't have much money and he didn't want her spending what little she did have because he asked her to come with him.

She sighed. "I guess. I'd still rather pay for myself."

The two arrived at Baskin Robbins and Temperance looked around to see which flavor she should get. She tried to hide her excitement, but Seeley could see just how happy she was.

"When was the last time you had ice cream?"

"About three months ago, when I switched homes." He noticed a flicker of sadness in her eyes and despite his overwhelming curiosity, decided not to pursue the subject any further.

"Which flavor do you want?"

"Hmm…I think I'll go with Mint Chocolate Chip!"

Seeley ordered one Mint Chocolate Chip in a cone and a Rocky Road milkshake.

Temperance took her cone, thanked Seeley, and sat at one of the tables, attacking her ice cream with her tongue.

"It's been way too long since I've had ice cream." She smiled at the man.

"I can tell," he chuckled. "You seem like you're really enjoying it."

She nodded vigorously. "Delicious!" She paused a moment to look up at him. "Why are you being so nice?"

This caught Seeley off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you just met me and then asked me out for ice cream. You're clearly older than me. What purpose does it serve you to be nice to a girl you just met?"

Seeley thought for a moment. He had his reasons, but he wasn't sure how to convey them to this girl.

"I hope you didn't have _other plans_." Her eyes were hard as she stared him down.

It took him a moment to realize what she had meant. "No! No! God no! I'm not like _that_! Why would you think that?" He was honestly offended that she had thought _that_ was the reason he treated her to ice cream!

"Well, as I said, you just met me. What other reasons could you have for being so nice to a sixteen year old girl you bumped into on the sidewalk?"

He sighed. "Look, Tempe, I know abuse when I see it." His eyes once again dropped to her throat. She quickly pulled her jacket tight around her, trying to cover the bruises. "It's okay; I'm not going to hurt you."

She nodded slowly. "Why are you so concerned about me?"

He took a deep breath, about to tell this young girl something he had never told anyone before. "Because I was abused, too...when I was younger. And I had no one to talk to about it. It…It almost drove me to suicide. I had come so close so many times. But I knew I had to protect my brother. I had to take all the abuse so he wouldn't have to. It was the honor of being a big brother."

Tears filled Temperance's eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"There's no need to be. I…just get the feeling you also have no one to talk to. And I know how painful that is. So I'm here, if you want someone to talk to."

She looked down at her slowly melting ice cream. "My parents…disappeared a year ago. And my brother left; I don't know where he is. I was put in the foster system and some of the foster parents are really nice. Most are, actually. But then, some aren't so much. And it seems that the mean ones get children longer. I've been with these people for three months."

She took a breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. "They're awful people, but no one in charge seems to notice. I've tried telling them, but they brush me off as just another troubled teen." She shrugged. "I guess no one really cares about foster kids."

Seeley gently brushed her cheek. "Buck up, kid." He smiled softly at her. "I'm a cop in training and when I get the chance, I'll come and arrest those people for hurting you and so many others."

Temperance sniffled and smiled at him. "Thanks, Seeley. I'll be waiting for you."

Seeley grinned at the girl. "I guess you should be getting home, then?"

"Yeah. Thank you so much for this. I'm not much for talking to people, but this was really nice."

Seeley walked Temperance as far as she would let him. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek.

"Promise you'll save me?"

He nodded to her. "I promise."

And with that, she ran around the corner and up to a brilliantly white house with a beautiful lawn. Seeley peered around the corner just in time to see her being yanked into the house and the door being slammed.

The next day, Seeley flipped on the news. His breath caught as he saw a small picture of the girl he met just yesterday.

"Temperance Brennan seems to have gotten into a fight with one of the other foster children housed by the Little's. He bro-"

Seeley muted the television, his eyes locked on the young girl's smiling face.

"_Promise you'll save me?"_

Her words ran through his head. He was supposed to rescue her.

But he had let her down.

He had failed his Concrete Angel.


End file.
